David Dimbleby says BBC is too scared to ‘properly examine’ royal family’s power

‘It’s just interesting how tightly controlled monarchy is,’ broadcaster said

David Dimbleby has claimed that the BBC does not appropriately question the royal family’s power.

The veteran broadcaster returned to the BBC last month to help present their coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

However, Dimbleby has now said that the corporation has an “old sore about the monarchy” and will “not go near” controversial topics such as the palace’s ability to change tax legislation and the fact that the Duchy of Cornwall doesn’t pay capital gains tax.

Speaking at Henley Literature Festival on Thursday (6 October), Dimbleby claimed that “all those issues are never touched by the BBC because I think they feel their viewers will not like it – a visceral feeling”.

He added: “I think it is wrong and these things should be properly examined.”

Dimbleby also said that, when returning to the BBC for the Queen’s funeral coverage, he’d been shocked to see the levels of control that Buckingham Palace had over what was and wasn’t broadcast.

During the live broadcast from St George’s chapel, the team weren’t under “any injunctions”, but were simply told “to be courteous and not show the King in floods of tears or dwell on it”.

However, Dimbleby recalled emails arriving “almost simultaneously” from Buckingham Palace dictating which clips of footage could not be shown in future broadcasts.

Dimbleby in 2019 (Getty Images)

Listing what was in the emails, he said: “Prince George touching his nose, ‘Don’t show it.’ And it went on. Beatrice and Eugenie leaving St George’s, ‘Not to be shown.’

“There was this complete list of things that no broadcaster could show because the copyright belongs to Buckingham Palace. I think that’s wrong, just wrong. It’s just interesting how tightly controlled monarchy is.”

The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.